SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Sea Dogs wrap up their 2011 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season schedule this evening against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at Harbour Station. Game time is 7pm.

The Sea Dogs are 2-2-0-0 in exhibition play. They dropped both of their opening games against the Moncton Wildcats but have since rebounded with two straight wins against the Prince Edward Island Rocket

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI – It was another wild pre-season contest between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Prince Edward Island Rocket on Tuesday night at UPEI’s MacLauchlan Arena.

In a spirited and penalty filled affair, the Sea Dogs defeated the Rocket 7-4 to improve to 2-2-0-0 in exhibition play. Saint John closes out their pre-season schedule tomorrow night at 7pm at Harbour Station when they host the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

PEI fell to 1-1-0-1 in the loss. They also fell 5-4 in a shootout against Saint John on Saturday night at the Quispamsis qplex in another chippy contest.

Richard Tingley allowed a goal on 17 shots in the first half of the game, giving way to Charlie Millen who allowed three markers on 10 shots.

Louick Marcotte, Jean-Sebastien Fournier, Felipe Corbo and Matej Beran all connect for the home side.

Maxime Legace started in net for PEI, letting in two goals on 12 shots. His replacement, Raphael Roy, didn’t fare too well as he would allow five goals on 17 shots.

Anderson opened the scoring at 1:57 of the opening frame while the Sea Dogs were shorthanded. The puck came loose to the side of the goal where the Charlottetown native buried it to make it 1-0 for the visitors.

Saint John doubled their lead at 5:08 on a power play as Kelly snipped a hard shot between the legs of Legace. The Rocket would get on the board not long after at 9:14 as a two-on-one was finished off by Marcotte.

The Dogs got their two-goal lead back at 12:18 of the second frame as Beauregard went top shelf on a brief breakaway. Then, at 15:03 on a man advantage, a rebound came to the side of the goal where Oliver Cooper banged it in to make it 4-1 Saint John.

In the third, the Rocket began to mount their comeback at 1:28 on a power play as Fournier jammed the disc in. Then Corbo found the net at 3:17 on a man advantage. Things got even worse when Beran tied the match at 4-4 at 7:08 as he had an open cage with Millen unable to slide over and make the stop.

Between those goals at 4:58, Ian Saab and Olivier Croteau dropped the gloves and bear hugged for a few seconds.

The game wouldn’t stay deadlocked for long. At 10:25 on a power play, Oke snapped a nice shot past Roy to give the Dogs their lead back, a marker that would prove to be the game winner.

Brown and Durepos added insurance goals later on in the period to make it a 7-4 final.

At 15:45, chaos broke loose at the blue line as everybody on the ice grabbed a dance partner. The notable fights saw Brock Morrison and Yan Pavel Laplante drop the gloves as well as Ryan Kelly and Kelly Bent.

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI – A grand total of 16 players that are eligible to return to the Saint John Sea Dogs this season will be attending National Hockey League camps this fall.

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League made the announcement today. In total, 89 players from their 17 club teams will be participating in NHL camps over the next few weeks.

Saint John’s total is a league high.

Alexandre Beuregard (Phoenix), Pierre Durepos (Los Angeles), Danick Gauthier (Phoenix), Scott Oke (Dallas) and Ian Saab (Vancouver) all earned free agent invites. All of them but Saab – who spent last season with the Lewiston Maineiacs (RIP) – played for Saint John in their Memorial Cup championship campaign.

Jonathan Huberdeau (Florida), Nathan Beaulieu (Montreal), Zack Phillips (Minnesota), Tomas Jurco (Detroit) and Ryan Tesink (St. Louis) were all selected in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and will be heading to their first professional camps.

Mathieu Corbeil (Columbus), Stanislav Galiev (Washington) and Stephen MacAulay (St. Louis) will all be returning to their respective rights holders.

Simon Despres (Pittsburgh), Eric Gelinas (New Jersey) and Steven Anthony (Vancouver) are all eligible to play another season of junior but could make the jump to the pro level. Despres will be playing pro for sure while Gelinas and Anthony are both long shots to return.

Of the 20 players that suited up for Saint John in their 3-1 victory over the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup final, only Gabriel Bourret, Kevin Gagne, and Jacob DeSerres will not be attending NHL camps this coming month.

Last year’s overage forwards Mike Thomas and Michael Kirkpatrick have both signed contracts with American Hockey League teams. DeSerres, the team’s other 20-year old, will suit up for the University of Calgary this year.

After Hurricane/Tropical Storm/Wind Storm Irene blew away any hopes of playing Sunday’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season game on Sunday, the Saint John Sea Dogs and Prince Edward Island Rocket will try to do battle tonight in Charlottetown.

The Rocket, 1-1-0-1, host the Sea Dogs, 1-2-0-0, this evening at 7pm at MacLauchlan Arena which is located on the campus of the University of Prince Edward Island.

Saint John and PEI faced each other on Saturday at the qplex in Quispamsis with the Sea Dogs coming out on top by score of 5-4 in a shootout.

Brock Morrison scored twice for the home side while Aidan Kelly and Alexandre Beauregard added singles. Jonathan Huberdeau scored the lone shootout goal.

Mathieu Corbeil and Sebastien Auger combined to allow four goals on 25 shots in the Saint John net.

Maxime Legace allowed a goal on 14 shots through two periods of action while the newly acquired Antoine Bibeau allowed three markers on nine shots.

It was the first time these two had met in exhibition play but the game was quite nasty of times with shoving after whistles, plenty of penalties and a near fight.

"It was getting pretty aggressive out there,'' Sea Dogs forward Brock Morrison said to the Telegraph-Journal. "I don't know the history between these two teams, but it seemed like no one really liked each other out there.''

“Although this is exhibition, both teams played hard right until the final whistle,” said PEI head coach Gordie Dwyer, who is entering his first season with the club, in a Rocket release. “Saint John had a very strong line-up with a number of returning players from last year’s team so they obviously don’t like to lose. I was quite pleased with the way we competed from start to finish and this is going to be the way we play all season long. It made for a good game and the guys are looking forward to (tonight)! I am very happy with the way the guys are buying into our program.”

Morrison is having quite a pre-season as he leads Saint John in scoring with five points. Four of those five points have been goals.

The Rocket are led by Bruce Hornbrook who has a goal and two assists and Louick Marcotte who has three helpers.

MORE REFS
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League announced earlier this week that four officials – two referees and two linesmen – will work every game this season.

“This is a great initiative, especially in regards to player safety,” said the Director of Officiating, Richard Trottier in a release on the league’s website. “The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is the best development league in the world and with the speed of today’s game we needed to adapt. This is excellent news for our teams, our players and our fans.”

Here’s hoping the amount of penalties called this pre-season doesn’t carry over into the regular one.

PROMOTION
The Sea Dogs announced earlier this week that the first 6,000 fans attending the September 8th home opener will receive something for free.

From the release:

The Port City’s major junior squad will kick off the 2011-12 season at home Sept. 8 against the rival Moncton Wildcats. This Season Opening Night is sponsored by founding partners Irving Oil and Moosehead Breweries. The first 6,000 fans in attendance will receive a special limited-edition keepsake of the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup championship, compliments of the Sea Dogs and Irving Oil.

Tickets to the home opener as well as all of the Sea Dogs’ other 33 home games went on sale to the general public last Saturday.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Tonight’s Saint John Sea Dogs pre-season game in Prince Edward Island has been postponed due to Hurricane Irene.

“After numerous phone calls with the Sea Dogs and the league, all three parties felt it to be in everyone’s best interest to postpone the game,” said PEI Rocket VP of Operations Trent Birt. “We didn’t want to ask our fans to come out in tropical storm conditions and we also saw the potential of having St. John stranded on PEI until tomorrow at noon, according to an advisory sent out by Confederation Bridge. It is unfortunate because last night’s game between the two teams was intense and we were looking forward to continuing that battle tonight but in the end, the compete level will still be there Tuesday and fans will not have to make a decision between venturing out into storm like conditions or missing the game entirely.”

The game will be made up this Tuesday night at 7pm at the MacLauchlan Arena, located on the campus of UPEI.

Following Tuesday’s match, the Sea Dogs will play the Acadie-Bathurst Titan on Wednesday night at Harbour Station. It will be the final exhibition game for Saint John.

After a feisty and entertaining first game, the Saint John Sea Dogs and PEI Rocket meet again tonight for the second match of their home-and-home series. Game time is 7pm at the MacLauchlan Arena, located on the University of Prince Edward Island’s campus.

The Sea Dogs won last night’s opening affair by making a third period comeback and ultimately winning 5-4 in a shootout. Brock Morrison scored twice while Aidan Kelly and Alexandre Beauregard added singles. Jonathan Huberdeau scored the lone shootout goal.

Mathieu Corbeil and Sebastien Auger combined to allow four goals on 25 shots in the Saint John net.

Josh Currie, Tomas Pavelka, Dylan Capstick and Victor Provencher all scored for PEI. Maxime Legace allowed a goal on 14 shots through two periods of action while the newly acquired Antoine Bibeau allowed three markers on nine shots.

It was quite a nasty affair with plenty of scrums after whistles and physical play, something that could carry over into tonight’s game. According to the QMJHL website, the Rocket were given 14 infractions last night and the Sea Dogs 15. There were 17 combined power play opportunities but neither team scored while on the man advantage. There were, however, three shorthanded markers.

The Sea Dogs are 1-2-0-0 in three pre-season games while the Rocket are 1-1-0-1. Saint John has been outscored 10-11 by their opposition while PEI has been outscored 12-16.

Brock Morrision has been unreal for Saint John in exhibition play, recording four goals and an assist in three games. Danny Wicks has two goals and Danick Gauthier a pair of assists so far in the pre-season.

The Rocket are led by Bruce Hornbrook and Louick Marcotte who each have three points in three pre-season contests. Hornbrook has a goal and two assists and Marcotte has three helpers.

QUISPAMSIS – The Saint John Sea Dogs produced a dramatic comeback to earn their first victory of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season in front of a packed house at the qplex in Quispamsis on Saturday night.

The Sea Dogs found themselves down 3-1 and 4-2 at points during the third period but climbed back to eventually defeat the PEI Rocket 5-4 in a shootout. Brock Morrison continued his strong pre-season play with two goals while Aidan Kelly and Alexandre Beauregard added singles. Jonathan Huberdeau scored the lone shootout marker to clinch the win.

Mathieu Corbeil made his first appearance of the year, making nine stops in 30 minutes and 36 seconds of play. Sebastien Auger took over for him at the halfway point, making 12 stops on 15 shots. He denied the Rocket on all three of their shootout attempts.

Saint John improved to 1-2 in exhibition play after losing both games last weekend against the Moncton Wildcats. The Dogs close out their home-and-home series with the Rocket tomorrow night in Charlottetown.

The Rocket, who fell to 1-2, had goals courtesy of Josh Currie, Tomas Pavelka, Dylan Capstick and Victor Provencher. Maxime Legace allowed a goal on 14 shots through two periods of action while the newly acquired Antoine Bibeau allowed three markers on nine shots.

The Rocket opened the scoring at 14:59 of the opening frame while playing shorthanded. Currie came down the wing and sniped the puck top shelf past Corbeil to make it a 1-0 affair.

Saint John was unable to tie the match until Morrison connected at 13:31 of the second. But just over two minutes later, Pavelka scored PEI’s second shorthanded marker to give them their lead back. Capstick would score at 17:31 to put the Rocket ahead 3-1 heading into the dressing room.

Just 53 seconds into the third period, Kelly brought some life back into the qplex crowd as he beat Bibeau to make it a 3-2 game. But the Rocket quickly got their two goal lead back as Provencher scored at 3:39.

While shorthanded at 8:43, Alexandre Beauregard scored to make it a one-goal game again. Finally, at 18:16, a mad scramble at the side of the PEI net was finished off by Morrison at 18:16 to send the game into extra time.

The exhibition match went straight to a shootout. Huberdeau shot first and surprised nobody on the entire planet by doing his trademark move. That would be all the Sea Dogs would need as Auger denied all three Rocket shooters.

Shots were 25-23 in favour of PEI.

The Sea Dogs went 0-for-8 on the man advantage while the Rocket went 0-for-9. Despite having 17 combined power play opportunities there were goals scored while a man up. There were however three shorthanded markers.

SAINT JOHN - A packed house will watch the Saint John Sea Dogs battle the PEI Rocket tonight at the new qplex in Quispamsis. Game time is 7pm.

The Sea Dogs are winless so far in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season play. They are 0-2 following 3-2 and 4-3 losses at the hands of the Moncton Wildcats last weekend.

Brock Morrison leads the Sea Dogs in exhibition scoring with two goals and an assist. Danny Wicks also has two markers after two contests.

There are currently 31 players still at Saint John training camp following the first round of cuts last Sunday. NHL first round draft picks Jonathan Huberdeau and Nathan Beaulieu were added to the camp roster.

The only regular players from last season that have seen pre-season action have been Jason Cameron and Ryan Tesink. With only three exhibition games left for Saint John, the lineups should start to include some more familiar names.

The Rocket are 1-1-0-0 so far in pre-season play. They defeated the Acadie-Bathurst Titan 6-5 in their first game last weekend at the KC Irving Regional Centre and then fell 6-2 to the Titan in Pownal, PEI.

A number of players are tied for the Rocket scoring lead with two points. Yan Pavel Laplante leads the squad in goals with two.

Also according to the Guardian, Maxime Legace, who will attend Pittsburgh Penguins camp as a free agent, will get the start in goal for PEI while Antoine Bibeau, who the the Rocket acquired earlier this week in a trade, will be his backup.

Matej Beran, who the Rocket selected 35th overall in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, will make his debut tonight. Alex Gallant and Michael Abbott are out with injuries.

The full camp roster for the Rocket can be found here and the Sea Dogs’ roster here.

Tickets to all 34 of the Saint John Sea Dogs’ 2011-12 regular season home games went on sale this morning at 10am at the Harbour Station box office. Tickets can also be purchased by phone (506-657-1234) or online.

According to the Harbour Station website, lower bowl and horseshoe tickets will cost $16.50 for adults, $15.50 for seniors/students and $13.00 for youth (14 and under) this season. Upper bowl seats can be purchased for $14.50 for adults, $13.50 for seniors/students and $11.00 for youth (14 and under).

Saint John opens the year on Thursday, September 8 at 7pm at the Station when they host the Moncton Wildcats in the first contest of the Canadian Hockey League season. The Sea Dogs announced yesterday that the first 6,000 fans in attendance will receive “a special limited-edition keepsake of the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup championship, compliments of the Sea Dogs and Irving Oil.”

The Sea Dogs will wait to raise their championship banners because of the amount of players that will miss the home opener due to National Hockey League rookie and training camp commitments. The cub will instead raise them to the rafters on October 29 against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.

Saint John’s final home game of the regular season will be held on March 3 against the Acadie-Bathurst Titan.

“He’s going to apply himself a little differently during rookie camp and regular training camp,” said his agent, Mark Gandler, to the Times. “When he goes back to junior, he has a different purpose to his game — he’s honing his physical skills and working on his game rather than blindly going after points.”

“The junior team does not need points — they need leadership and they need for every player on the team to be involved,” he added. “That’s the skills of a professional hockey player to involve everyone on the ice and not just go after points.”

“Already familiar with the demands of the North American game, Galiev has shown willingness for both the physical side of the game as well as helping out in his own zone, but he still needs to improve in both facets,” reads Galiev’s profile.

Galiev was a point-per-game player last year, recording 65 points in 64 contests. He had 27 points in 19 post-season games.

The team is scheduled to start the year on a 12-game road trip because of the renovations, pushing their home opener all the way back to Friday, October 14th against Saint John. But, it appears playing that game at the Iamgold Arena is unlikely.

Following a meeting with the city of Rouyn-Noranda, the architects responsible for the work at the arena and responsible Iamgold arenas, the Huskies have learned that it is impossible to present the first game of the season scheduled at the arena Iamgold October 14.

According to the explanations provided by the project, the inability to deliver a building playable for the Huskies, who meets the requirements of the QMJHL and safe for spectators motivate participants to suggest other avenues for a game Oct. 14.

Meanwhile, officials of the QMJHL will work with the organization of the Huskies and the city to ensure that the arena Jacques Laperriere is in compliance with the standards of the league.

The former Saint John Sea Dogs goaltender played in a key part in the team’s national championship and now he will try to do the same with the University of Calgary Dinos this year.

The Dinos announced today that DeSerres, a Calgary native, will join the program for the 2011-12 campaign. He will study arts at the university.

The netminder is called “one of the best goalies on the CIS recruiting radar for 2011-12” in the release.

“DeSerres had a great year and we're very excited to have a goaltender of his calibre coming to us,” said Dinos head coach Mark Howell. “He is going to add great value to the goaltending position for our club, where we already have two of the best players in the country. It will be an excellent challenge for all three of them.”

The 21-year old was not claimed off waivers in the Western Hockey League last fall, allowing him to be transferred as a free agent to the Sea Dogs in the Quebec league. He went 27-3-0 in the regular season with a 2.22 goals against average and a 0.916 save percentage. He won the Jacque Plante Trophy as the goaltender with the best GAA.

In the playoffs he had a record of 12-3 with a GAA of 2.00 and a save percentage of 0.916, helping Saint John win their first President’s Cup. He was unreal in the Memorial Cup and put on quite a show in the final against Mississauga.

Before joining the Sea Dogs last season he had spent parts of six seasons in the WHL.

DeSerres was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft but never signed with the club. He attended Phoenix Coyotes development camp this summer as a free agent invitee.

Although university hockey may not have all the perks of a professional league, it can be used as a stepping stone to the big leagues. Plenty of CIS players get signed by pro-teams each year.

The Dinos have a solid program and made it all the way to Nationals last year which were held at the Aitken University Centre in Fredericton. The Dinos struggled at the tournament which was eventually one by another former Sea Dogs goaltender – Travis Fullerton – and the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds.

Of note, the Dinos are headed to New Brunswick next month for some exhibition hockey. They will play the V-Reds on September 23rd at the AUC and September 24th at the Tri-County Complex in Fredericton Junction.

Financial terms were not disclosed by the team, but the Washington Post’s Tarik El-Bashir tweeted that “Galiev's new three year contract will average $550K in the NHL.”

Galiev was a third round pick of the Capitals in the 2009 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

“Watching young players develop and work towards the next level is one of the most rewarding parts of junior hockey,” said Mike Kelly, director of hockey operations and associate coach of the Sea Dogs in a release. “We are proud of Stanislav and look forward to him continuing his development here in Saint John.”

Unless he sticks with the Capitals this season, the Moscow native will be back in Saint John for a third season of junior hockey. Under Canadian Hockey League guidelines, he cannot play in the American Hockey League at the age of 19.

Drafted first overall in the 2009 CHL Import Draft, Galiev recorded 15 goals and 45 assists in 67 contests. He added another eight goals and 11 assists in 21 playoff games. He had a solid rookie campaign and spent much of the year on the Sea Dogs’ top line with Nick Petersen and Mike Hoffman.

Last season he had 37 goals and 28 assists in 64 games. In the post-season he registered 10 goals and 17 assists en route to helping Saint John capture the President’s Cup. He also notched a goal and two helpers in four games at the MasterCard Memorial Cup.

Galiev had an up-and-down first half last year but really stepped it up in the second half on a line with first-round picks Jonathan Huberdeau and Zack Phillips.

The six-foot-one, 188-pound winger didn’t make the Russian world junior team but did play for his country at the 2010 Subway Super Series.

The Saint John Sea Dogs stayed quiet on the final day of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s summer trading period. The reigning league champs weren’t involved in any of the 11 transactions made today.

The MasterCard Memorial Cup hosting Shawinigan Cataractes made the biggest noise of the day, acquiring Montreal Canadiens prospect Louis Leblanc from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of Anaheim in exchange for Cole Hawes.

Leblanc, a first round pick of the Canadiens in the 2009 National Hockey League Entry Draft, will be an overager this season and is likely to play for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League. The forward recently had shoulder surgery which could increase the odds of him returning to junior.

Leblanc joined the Montreal Juniors last season, recording 26 goals and 32 assists in 51 regular season games. In the post-season he added six goals and three helpers in 10 games before the Juniors were upset in the second round by the Lewiston Maineiacs.

The Quebec Remparts acquired Cédric Leblanc (93-03-01) from the Moncton Wildcats for a third round pick in 2012 and sent goaltender Jimmy Appleby (93-04-02) to the Drakkar for Gabriel Carignan (93-06-28) and a second pick in 2013.

Moreover, Quebec traded Guillaume Rousseau (91-02-13) to the Olympiques for an eighth round pick in 2012.

The Rocket plucked Antoine Bibeau (94-05-01) away from the Olympiques for a fourth round pick in 2013.

Gatineau also sent Olivier Picard (93-04-07) to the Armada for an eighth round pick in 2013.

The Tigres acquired Simon Darveau (92-07-21) from the Drakkar for an eighth round pick in 2013 while also trading a fifth round selection to Chicoutimi for Danick Emond (93-04-21).

The Océanic traded Guillaume Gélinas (94-01-26) to the Cataractes for Jean-François Plante (93-06-29).

The Saguenéens traded Rock Régimbald (92-05-08) to the Olympiques for a seventh round pick in 2013.

With the exception of the Nathan MacKinnon drama, it’s been a fairly quiet trading period since it opened on August 1st. Since that time, 14 transactions have been made.

“Teams must decide by Monday at noon whether they're keeping the players who are CEGEP students,” wrote Neil Hodge in Saturday’s Telegraph-Journal. “CEGEP is the mandatory education level in Quebec that falls between high school and university.

“Teams must also offer their 19-year-olds a contract by Tuesday at 11 a.m. or place them on league waivers where other clubs can pick them up for nothing.”

The Saint John Sea Dogs have yet to make any transactions this month. The team was pretty quiet last year as well with their only deals being the acquisition of defenseman Spencer MacDonald and goaltender Frederic Piche in exchange for draft picks.

Returning to Saint John are star players Jonathan Huberdeau and Nathan Beaulieu. Both attended last night’s pre-season game at Harbour Station.

Balderston, Caswell, Collicutt, Jay, Killaire, MacSween, Levesque, MacDonald and Mosher were all training camp invitees. Caswell and MacSween were the only two to not play in either of the Sea Dogs’ first couple of exhibition games.

In the pre-season contests, Collicutt had a fight, Levesque recorded three assists, MacDonald a goal and assist, and Mosher an assist.

Fife is a protected player who played in both Friday and Saturday’s contest but didn’t record any points and was a minus-one.

Fournier, a fifth round pick by Saint John is June’s Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft, played the second half of Friday’s game in Moncton where he allowed a goal on eight shots. Jeffery, a ninth round pick of the Dogs in June, did not see any game action.

With today’s cuts, there are only five training camp invitees remaining on the roster.

17 forwards, nine defensemen and four goaltenders remain.

National Hockey League drafted players Zack Phillips, Tomas Jurco and Stanislav Galiev will report at a later date.

Jonathan Huberdeau is back in town and last week he tweeted a photo of a Memorial Cup ring (EDIT: This is apparently the ring he got for being MVP).

SEASON-TICKET DRIVE
The Sea Dogs announced on Friday that their goal this season is to have 2,700 season-ticket holders which would be the highest amount in team history. Saint John had 2,528 season-pass holders in their historic campaign last year.

“By becoming the first Maritime team to win a Memorial Cup championship, this team has connected with fans in the Saint John area like never before,” said team president Wayne Long in a release. “We are seeing this enthusiasm translate into new season-ticket sales and we hope the community continues to rally behind the Sea Dogs to help us reach our goal of 2,700 season tickets.”

Information on Sea Dogs full season, flex pack, and flex pack combo tickets can be obtained by calling the team office at (506) 657-DOGS (3647) or at www.saintjohnseadogs.com.

In addition to saving nearly three dollars per ticket off of walk-up prices, season-ticket holders receive several exciting benefits, including exclusive invitations to a meet-and-greet barbecue and a winter skate, priority access to playoff seats, a limited-edition merchandise item, and a significant discount at the team store. Benefits also include a game-day draw valued at $50 per game, five complimentary tickets valued at $85, and use of the season-ticket holder entrance. Packages range from $301 for youth upper bowl tickets to $493 for adult lower bowl.

PRE-SEASON LEADERS
After two pre-season games, forward Brock Morrison and defenseman Patrick Levesque lead the Sea Dogs in scoring with three points each. Morrison, an 8th round pick in 2010, has two goals and an assist while Levesque, a training camp invitee from Edmundston, has three helpers.

Morrison and training camp invitee Danny Wicks lead the team in goals with two markers each.

MacKenzie Brown and Sean Killaire are a Sea Dogs best plus-one. On the other end, defensemen Spencer MacDonald and David Mosher are both a minus-three.

FIGHTING FRIENDS
In last night’s game at Harbour Station, Oliver Cooper of the Sea Dogs and Craig Langille of the Wildcats dropped the gloves for a short tilt. Both are Fredericton natives and were teammates with the ‘AAA’ Canadiens last season.

Cooper had 11 goals and 13 assists in 33 games last year while Langille, a defenseman, had no goals and nine assists in 24 contests.

Pasher, a training camp invitee, played with the Cape Breton Tradesmen of the Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League last year where he had 31 points - 12 goals, 19 assists - along with 41 penalty minutes in 33 games.

SAINT JOHN – For the second straight night the Saint John Sea Dogs came up just short against the Moncton Wildcats.

The Wildcats beat the Sea Dogs 4-3 on Saturday night at Harbour Station, giving Saint John a 0-2 start to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s pre-season. Moncton edged the Dogs 3-2 on Friday night at the Red Ball Internet Centre.

Saturday featured a much more entertaining game than Friday’s as both teams played at a higher pace and had more legitimate scoring opportunities.

Ludlow Jr Harris scored twice while Maxime Pitre and the highly touted Brandon Shea – making his pre-season debut – each added singles. Brandon Thibeau and Jordan Kennedy combined to make 31 saves. Thibeau allowed two goals on 16 shots while Kennedy allowed one on 18.

Newfoundlander Danny Wicks was in beast mode for Saint John and scored twice. Brock Morrison, who also found the score sheet on Friday, scored the other marker. Charlie Millen stopped 14 of 17 shots while Sebastien Auger allowed a goal on nine shots.

Like Friday’s match, the scoring opened in the first minute of the game. Only this time it would be Saint John who would come out flying as Morrison netted the puck just 26 seconds in past Thibeau.

The Wildcats would even the match up at 1-1 at 14:49 as Harris scored. But with eight seconds remaining in the opening frame, Wicks sent the Sea Dogs to the dressing room up a goal.

In the second, Harris scored his second of the game at 3:15 to tie things up. Then Pitre put the ‘Cats ahead 3-2 at 5:04. On a power play at 12:13, Wicks would tie it up at 3-3.

At 1:12 of the third, former Fredericton ‘AAA’ team-mates Oliver Cooper and Craig Langille dropped the gloves for a short tilt.

It wasn’t until 16:16 of the final frame that another goal would be scored. With Auger a bit out of position, the puck deflected off Shea’s skate and in to give Moncton a 4-3 advantage.

Saint John would have a flurry of chances in the final 30 seconds but couldn’t tie it.

Shots were 34-26 in favour of the home team.

It was another penalty filled affair as Saint John went 1-for-9 on the man advantage and Moncton went 0-for-7.

The Sea Dogs have a week to prepare for their next pre-season game where they will host the PEI Rocket at the Quispamsis qplex.

SAINT JOHN – The Saint John Sea Dogs look to even up their Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season record with a victory tonight over the Moncton Wildcats.

The Sea Dogs and Wildcats finish up a home-and-home series tonight at 7pm at Harbour Station. The Wildcats won the opener yesterday at the Red Ball Internet Centre by score of 3-2.

Ludlow Jr. Harris, Lindon Beckwith and Mark Tremaine all scored in the Moncton win. Roman Will and Jack Flinn combined to make 25 saves on the night.

For Saint John, Ben MacDonald and Brock Morrison each scored in the loss. The Sea Dogs’ top pick in June’s draft, Oliver Cooper, was a plus-one and added an assist. Cooper was noticeable on the ice all night because of his size.

Tonight, both teams should be showing off some different players as the first wave of cuts loom.

“Teams must decide by Monday at noon whether they're keeping the players who are CEGEP students,” writes Neil Hodge in the Telegraph-Journal. “CEGEP is the mandatory education level in Quebec that falls between high school and university.

“Teams must also offer their 19-year-olds a contract by Tuesday at 11 a.m. or place them on league waivers where other clubs can pick them up for nothing.”

This game is one of just two pre-season games that the Sea Dogs will play at Harbour Station. Following tonight’s match, the team opens up a home-and-home weekend set with the PEI Rocket which begins next Saturday at the Quispamsis qplex.

Friday, August 19, 2011

MONCTON – The Moncton Wildcats took plenty of penalties on Friday night at the Red Ball Internet Centre but a rookie filled Saint John Sea Dogs team was only able to capitalize on one of their eight opportunities.

Ludlow Jr. Harris, Lindon Beckwith and Mark Tremaine all scored in the Wildcats’ 3-2 victory over the Sea Dogs on the opening night of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s pre-season schedule.

Recent import pick Roman Will was solid in net for Moncton, stopping all 15 shots that came his way in 30 minutes and eight seconds of action. He gave way to Jack Flinn who would allow two goals on 12 shots in the second half of the contest.

Saint John struggled to create offense in what was – at times – a bit of a snooze fest. The Dogs were down 2-0 entering the third period but Ben MacDonald and Brock Morrison were able to tie the match.

Richard Tingley allowed two goals on 18 shots. His replacement, Alex Fournier, would let in the game-winner, the only goal he allowed on the eight shots he faced.

The Wildcats opened the scoring just 35 seconds in as Sebastian Dyke setup Harris beautifully to give the home side a 1-0 edge.

In the second, a turnover caused Tingley to scramble back into his crease, allowing Beckwith to get one past the netminder to make it 2-0. Harris and Kraig Pasher dropped the gloves at 15:03 of the middle frame in a short but spirited bout.

At 5:45 of the third on a two-man advantage, MacDonald got Saint John on the board as his point shot sailed through traffic and in. Then at 9:42, Oliver Cooper made some space for himself and threaded the puck to an open Morrison to tie the match.

On the ensuing faceoff, Will Johnston’s little brother, Ross, dropped the gloves with Ryan Collicutt. It was a long one with a lot of punches thrown but not a whole lot of contact made. Collicutt would be ejected from the game where he would then have PG-13 conversation with a few fans watching from the concourse above.

The Wildcats put it away at 11:32 as Tremaine snipped a low shot past the leg of Fournier to give the ‘Cats a 3-2 victory.

The Sea Dogs went 1-for-8 on the man advantage while the Wildcats went 0-for-4.

Saint John outshot Moncton 27-26.

NEXT GAME: The Sea Dogs and Wildcats close out a pre-season home-and-home series tomorrow at 7pm at Harbour Station.

MONCTON – On the opening day of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League pre-season, two rivals faceoff tonight in the Hub City.

The 2011 President’s Cup Champion Saint John Sea Dogs travel to Moncton to take on the 2010 President’s Cup Champion Wildcats. Game time is 7pm at the Red Ball Internet Centre.

Tonight’s match is the first of a home-and-home series. The two teams play each other again tomorrow night at 7pm at Harbour Station.

Both teams will be using young and inexperienced lineups this evening. Saint John released their projected lineup last night and forwards Aidan Kelly, Jason Cameron and Brock Morrison along with defenseman Spencer MacDonald were the only players listed who saw ice time with the Sea Dogs last season.

Oliver Cooper, the Sea Dogs’ top pick in June’s QMJHL Entry Draft, is expected to play this evening (UPDATE: He isn't listed on the rosters posted on the Wildcats website). The Wildcats’ top pick, Brandon Shea, is likely to miss this weekend’s action with a minor hip flexor injury, reports the Times & Transcript.

"I've had this happen in the past and I know it will only take a couple of days of rest to get better," said Shea. "It's disappointing that I can't play (tonight), but I would rather get my hip better now than wait until the season starts.”

The T&T also reports that import netminder Roman Will, who was selected 29th overall in the 2011 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, is expected to start tonight.

The Sea Dogs’ goaltending situation is one of the more intriguing parts of Saint John training camp. At the moment, Mathieu Corbeil is the No. 1 ‘tender heading into the season. Who is backup will be is the big question.

Tonight Alex Fournier, a 5th round pick in the 2011 draft, and Richard Tingley, a 5th round selection in 2009, will guard the cage for the Dogs this evening.

Tonight’s contest will not be streamed online or aired on the radio. Fans can, however, follow along with the SN Live Blog for coverage.

SAINT JOHN – When looking at the Saint John Sea Dogs’ training camp roster, one thing really sticks out – the amount of Maritime players trying to earn a spot on the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team.

46 players (which includes the five who will be reporting at a later date) are on this year’s roster and 30 of them are from are from the Maritimes and another from Newfoundland.

It’s also interesting to note that all of the players the team has listed as free agent invitees are from New Brunswick, Nova Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Ontario, or British Columbia.

The Sea Dogs begin their pre-season schedule tomorrow night at 7pm at the Red Ball Internet Centre when they face the Moncton Wildcats. The home-and-home series finishes up on Saturday at 7pm at Harbour Station.

The 2011 edition of Saint John Sea Dogs training camp opens this morning at Harbour Station. The camp roster has been split into two teams – Group A and Group B – and will have separate schedules. A scrimmage will close out the day.

46 players will be taking part in this year’s camp. 23 forwards, 12 defensemen, six goaltenders and five players who will be reporting at a later date make up this year’s roster.

Although Saint John has plenty of returning players from last year’s Memorial Cup winning team, a number of those players will miss the start of the season due to National Hockey League training camps and, potentially, the World Juniors this winter. With many players missing time, it will give many of the players at camp a chance to skate for the Dogs this year.

Camp continues tomorrow as the Sea Dogs prepare for Friday’s pre-season opener in Moncton against the Wildcats. Saint John will then host the ‘Cats on Saturday at Harbour Station.

The 5’8, 168-pound forward led the Newfoundland & Labrador Major Midget Hockey League in scoring during the regular season with 34 goals and 37 assists in 29 games. In the playoffs he added nine goals and eight assists in 17 games.

…

The 17-year old forward who won’t turn 18 until September was passed over in the last two QMJHL drafts.

“Physically, Danny is a bit of a late bloomer,” Schurman added. “He has worked very hard over the last year in the gym and will continue to do so to gain an opportunity such as this. He isn’t the biggest guy out there, but he battles for pucks and finishes his hits. Mix that in with his offensive instincts and we feel that Danny has a chance to play in our league.”

The Sea Dogs will have 23 forwards, 12 defensemen, six goaltenders and five players who will be arriving at a later date due to National Hockey League commitments.

Saint John plays their first pre-season contest on Friday night at the Red Ball Internet Centre in Moncton.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

“Joe Manno (South Kent) who recently decomitted from UMass and was rumored with Saint John has committed to Northeastern for this Fall,” tweeted Judd Bracket, a tweet that was retweeted by Manno himself.

Manno, a sixth round pick of the Saint John Sea Dogs in the 2009 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft, reportedly backed out of his commitment to UMass a couple of weeks ago which opened up the possibility of him playing junior this year.

Manno announced via Twitter that playing for Saint John this season was an option but was still looking at other offers.

“What's this I'm hearing that I signed with the Sea Dogs,” he tweeted on August 3rd. “This is not true.”

“I am attending Saint John's camp but other options have been thrown my way nothing is said & done”

“Again don't believe everything that you hear. Things are not what they seem to be.”

"I think I have made the right choice. If you have the opportunity now, you may as well take it because it may not come later in life."

The Charlottetown native played in five regular season games for Saint John in 2009-10, recording a goal and five penalty minutes. He saw action in nine playoff games due to injuries, registering no points and 10 penalty minutes.

Johnston, known more for his fists than his skills, has spent most of his junior career with the Summerside Western Capitals of the Maritime Junior Hockey League.

Howes is coming off a terrific season with the Kelly Cup champions, recording 22 goals and 36 assists in 59 regular season games. In the playoffs he added seven goals and 12 helpers in a dozen contests en route to being named the ECHL’s playoff Most Valuable Player.

He will be back for a second season in Alaska, but when he will make his debut this season is still unknown after undergoing shoulder surgery.

"It doesn't excite me,'' Howes said of his extended time off to the Anchorage Daily News. "I want to play. But it's not worth it. Really, we're looking at probably December to be 100 percent.''

Howes played for Saint John in 2007-08 as an overager, registering 42 goals and 28 assists in 59 regular season games and another 14 markers and 15 assists in 14 post-season tilts.

Saint John Sea Dogs Director of Hockey Operations Mike Kelly announced today that 44 players will participate in this year’s camp. They include 25 forwards, 13 defensemen, and six goaltenders.

The roster includes 20 players who saw some ice time with the Sea Dogs last year.

Six of the 10 players who were selected by Saint John in the 2011 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League Entry Draft will be in attendance. They are Olivier Cooper, MacKenzie Brown, Alex Fournier, Steven Anderson, Shawn Jeffery, and Ryan Kelly.

Maxime Gravel, Connor Brickley, Ryan Segalla, and Marc Biega were all selected by the Dogs in June’s draft but will not be attending.

Stanislav Galiev, Jonathan Huberdeau, Nathan Beaulieu, Zack Phillips, and Tomas Jurco will all arrive at a later date due to commitments with their respective National Hockey League teams.

The results aren’t that surprising as most of the NHL drafted players - who have another fan base following them - are near the top.

We left off Mike Thomas, Michael Kirkpatrick and Simon Despres for obvious reasons. You can still follow them on Twitter though, and you can find their info – along with other former Sea Dogs – on our ‘Sea Dogs on Twitter’ page.

If a player or member of the coaching/training staff has been missed, drop us a line in the comments section.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Saint John Sea Dogs Training Camp is just a week away. The team posted the above photo of Harbour Station on their Facebook page yesterday.

Training Camp starts next Wednesday morning at the Station. The full week one schedule can be found here.

Saint John will open the pre-season on Friday, August 19 in Moncton against the Wildcats at the Red Ball Internet Centre. The Wildcats released details yesterday on how to purchase tickets to that contest for any fans making the trip up.

The Sea Dogs return home the next night for a rematch against the Wildcats at 7pm.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Saint John Sea Dogs are bringing the Memorial Cup to CFB Gagetown tomorrow. The event is open to the public.

Here is the news release from the Sea Dogs:

CFB GAGETOWN, N.B. – The 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup Champions, the Saint John Sea Dogs, will be hosting the coveted junior hockey trophy at CFB Gagetown on August 10 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. The Sea Dogs are the first Maritime team to win this coveted title in the 93-year history of the trophy.

The Memorial Cup is a junior hockey championship trophy awarded annually to the Canadian Hockey League champion. Established in 1919, it was created in remembrance of the many soldiers who paid the supreme sacrifice for Canada in the First World War.

As a means to honour their sacrifices, the Memorial Cup was re-dedicated to all fallen Canadian Forces members in 2010.

Monday, August 8, 2011

FORT McMURRAY, Alta. – Team Red’s top line had another big night on Sunday en route to an 8-2 victory over Team White on the final day of Hockey Canada’s National Junior Team Development Camp.

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Jonathan Huberdeau had a pair of goals and an assist, Mark Stone two goals and three assists, and Ryan Johansen a goal and an assist.

“Those two guys are great players, top-five picks in the National Hockey League,” Stone said of his linemates to the Canadian Press. “I just had to come in here, not change anything from what I did this season. Being paired with those two, it was great chemistry.”

The intra-sqaud game ended a productive camp for Huberdeau who also scored and added an assist in Saturday’s match at Rexall Place. Nathan Beaulieu, the only other Sea Dog at the camp, was held pointless for the second straight night.

Once fans have created their account, they can click the FASTHockey Video link on Facebook at 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. MT on August 6 and 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MT on August 7 to watch free of charge as Canada’s top juniors hit the ice for their first World Junior auditions.

Last night’s webcast was quite good, featuring multiple camera angles, replays, and some solid commentary. It was similar to Telus’ QMJHL webcasts except it didn’t suck.

With tonight’s match being held at a smaller venue it may not be as good.

The Journal Pioneer reports that Sea Dogs head coach Gerard Gallant, associate coach and hockey operations director Mike Kelly, and players Jason Cameron and Spencer MacDonald will be at the Credit Union Centre tonight from 6:30 to 8:00 pm with the trophy for photo opportunities.

Gallant, Cameron, and MacDonald are all former members to the Credit Union Centre’s main tenant – the Summerside Western Capitals of the MHL.

EDMONTON – Team Red’s top line had a productive night but wouldn’t prove to be enough as Team White came-from-behind to win the first of two Red – White games at Team Canada’s National Junior Team Development Camp on Saturday at Rexall Place.

Team Red led 4-1 in the third period but couldn’t stop the Devante Smith-Pelly and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins show. Smith-Pelly scored and then added an assist on a Quinton Howden goal. That was followed by two late Nugent-Hopkins markers that gave the White squad a 5-4 victory.

The two teams battle again tomorrow night at 9pm in Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Despite the loss, Team Red’s top line of Jonathan Huberdeau, Ryan Johansen, and Mark Stone had a productive night. Huberdeau had a goal and an assist, Stone two goals and an assist, and Johansen added two helpers.

The other Saint John Sea Dog participating in the event, defenseman Nathan Beaulieu, also on Team Red, was held pointless.

Jamie Oleksiak opened the scoring at 18:31 of the opening frame on a man advantage for Team Red. Christian Thomas quickly tied the match at 19:01 on a goal setup by the awesomely-named Boone Jenner.

In the second, Huberdeau put Team Red ahead on a goal at the three-minute mark. Stone set the Sea Dogs forward up nicely and received an assist along with Moncton Wildcats defenseman Brandon Gormley.

In the third, Stone scored twice in less than two-minutes to give the Red team a commanding 4-1 advantage. Then everything fell apart.

First, Smith-Pelly scored at 6:03.

Then Howden scored at 12:08 on a power play.

Then Nugent-Hopkins scored at 16:32.

Then Nugent-Hopkins scored again at 19:40. Game.

Shots were 47-41 in favour of Team Red.

Louis Domingue and Mark Visentin split goaltending duties for the Red team while Scott Wedgewood and Tyler Bunz played in net for Team White.